Microwaves and Madness - My Microwave Browning Skillet Collection

I never use the nuke-u-lator, simply because I don't believe in subjecting my food to a form of energy that is blessedly blocked by our sweet Mother Earth.  If anything was suppose to be subjected to microwave energy, then the Magnetic field around the planet would be absent.  It's just darned unnatural.  I'm just sayin'

That, of course, does not stop me from collecting the Corning Ware microwave browning skillets. Thus far, I have been fairly picky about what goes in the collection.  I have a tendency towards the smaller P-series handled MW-8s instead of the larger MW-10s, whenever possible.  Why, you may ask?  It's simple really, the MW-10 pieces will not fit in my Microwave.  So, even though I do not use my Microwave, it just seems silly to collect something that I can never use, even though I will never use it anyway...  Does that make sense?  Probably not.  Aren't you glad you're not inside my head?  It does get quite noisy in there sometimes.

Anyway.........  This is my collection thus far.

It's nice to have records of designs made for specific microwave manufacturers as well as for department stores like Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck & Co.  I am still looking for a J.C. Penney one, but I'm not sure whether it exists or not.

Blue Scroll/Filigree MW-10 (with P-10-C lid) in Blue Filigree Medallion (I have not found an 8 inch skillet in this pattern yet)

Department Store pieces:

Sears, Roebuck & Co. MW-8 with P-9-C lid (also available in MW-10, MW-16 and MW-A-10)

Montgomery Ward MW-8 with P-9-C lid (also available in MW-10 and MW-A-10)...

 Microwave Manufacturer specific pieces:

The Amana Radarange...  MW-10 with P-10-C lid (bottom) and MW-83 with P-83-C lid (top).  This pattern was also available as an A-series piece (MW-A-10)

This pattern was a recurring theme for Amana... Western Stoneware was contracted by Amana to produce a "Country Cooker" earthenware Microwave crock with the same pattern (though in brown)

 EKG or Radio Wave/Microwave design MW-8 (with P-9-C) in both Blue and Black.

Though they simply state "Microwave Brown N' Sear" on the bottom, these were actually made for General Electric.  I assume they were a "free gift with purchase of a microwave" type scenario.

Norelco MW-16 with P-12-C lid (and here I thought Norelco only made Electric Shavers?)
This is the largest patterned piece that I have found so far.  It's equivalent to the P-16-B/P-22 -B Electromatic Skillet.

Litton (I have no idea what the model number is of this piece).  This piece does not appear in the group photo above because they are not actually made by Corning.  The Litton skillet (though made of glass-ceramic) was made by Narumi of Japan out of their Neoceram formula. 

Where is your Corning Ware??
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Microwaving With Montgomery Ward - Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I think, after bombarding everyone with pictures of miscellaneous Corningware patterns, that it's time to actually cook with some of my pieces.  This has not been without it's challenges.  I really wanted to cover microwave browning skillets, but I had a small, or rather, a large problem.  My Montgomery Ward skillet is too large for my tiny microwave.

This is a microwave browner skillet that was made exclusively for Montgomery Ward.....

The piece is known as MW-10 I believe, though it doesn't say underneath.

This pattern is not to be confused with the flower pattern made for Sears, Roebuck and Co....

But back to my Corningware conundrum.  My current microwave is too small for my 10 inch Microwave browner.  I was annoyed that I would not be able to do a demonstration of how it works.  BUT, as luck would have it, when I found my Wheat Saucemaker, I also found a small 6 inch Microwave Browning pan (MW-83-B) for $1.99.

As you can see, it is significantly smaller than my 10 inch skillet.

So NOW I can show you how to make a grilled cheese sandwich in the microwave in 2 1/2 minutes !!!!

I know I know, it all sounds completely insane.  But it really IS possible.  Let me explain exactly what a Corningware Browning Grill is and you will understand.

First, let me say this.  Though browning grills/skillets are made of Pyroceramic material just like all Vintage Corningware, these pieces can ONLY be used in the microwave... No Oven, No Stove.  This is due to the bottom of the pans....

For starters, they have feet.  Normally this would only prevent usage on a radiant glass ranges, since the bottom of the pan would not make contact with the surface of the cook top, but the feet are there for a specific reason.  They keep the bottom of the pan suspended above the floor or glass turntable of the microwave in order for the gray coating on the bottom to function properly.  That gray coating is the primary reason these pans CANNOT be used on the stove or in the oven.

The coating is Tin-Oxide, and it is the secret to a microwave grill pan.  Tin-Oxide has the peculiar property of absorbing microwave energy and heating up.  Thus you can preheat your pan in the microwave just like you would preheat your pan on the stove.

Let me show you how it works.....

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

First, you need to prepare the sandwich, in it's entirety.  Meaning your need to assemble the bread and cheese, as well as butter both sides of the sandwich. (butter fosters better browning, but you could brush both sides with olive oil if you prefer)

Now, place the empty browning skillet in the microwave.  It MUST be empty or Tin-Oxide will not heat up properly. (any food in the pan will absorb the energy and the Tin-Oxide will no heat up)
Nuke it for 1 minute and 30 seconds on high to heat the bottom of the pan. (my microwave is 1050 watts, You may need 2 minutes for lower wattage ovens)

Now very quickly, open the microwave and place the sandwich in the grill pan. (There will me a lot of sizzling)  If it makes it easier, you can actually grab the handle and remove it from the microwave oven.  (Don't worry, only the bottom of the pan heats up, the handle is quite cool.)  I would not do this with the larger 10 inch pans.

Nuke your sandwich for 30 seconds, then flip the the sandwich over with tongs and Nuke for 30 seconds longer.

Remove from the Microwave and Voila!

One Grilled Cheese Sandwich, alla Microwave!

MMMMMMMMMMMM  Cheeeeeeeeeeese!

So tasty, I had to make a second one.  (I was using slices from a sourdough long, so my bread wasn't all that big)

Cleanup?  It's a snap.  A little soap and water along with one of those handy O-Cello sponges and BOOYAH!  All clean.

Here is a PDF file with the preheating for different models of skillet as well as the cooking times of some favorite dishes. (like Grilled Cheese)

Browning Skillet Preheating Times

Where is your Corningware??
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